


Rosewood Farms

by W1ll0wT34



Category: Stardew Valley (Video Game)
Genre: Eventual Romance, F/M, Gen, General Stardew Valley Themes, Multiplayer Shenanigans, Slice of Life, Slight Canon Edits, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-18
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-13 18:48:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,307
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29530809
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/W1ll0wT34/pseuds/W1ll0wT34
Summary: Two girls move from their home in the city to start anew in Pelican Town. Will they succeed? Who knows… but it sure will be fun to find out!(Updates most Sundays)
Relationships: Harvey/Female Player (Stardew Valley), Most characters make an appearance but I won't put them all here, Sebastian/Female Player (Stardew Valley)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 8





	1. 🌸 Grampa's Letter 🌸

**Author's Note:**

> *breathes in* Alright, here we go. First chapter of a work that I'd basically convinced myself not to post. But here we are!  
> This was inspired by an actual playthrough that my friend and I did together a little while ago.
> 
> (Also, massive shout-out to my buddy StarKatNight (and, coincidentally, the other farmer in this story ;3) who is the grammar / spelling checker for this entire thing. After my 6th cup of espresso, I generally have lost my ability to English, so she helps me out a great deal!)

I never realised just how much my life would change years after my Grandfather wrapped a sealed envelope in my fingers before he died.

His words to me in that moment were still in mind.

_“Now, listen close my dear…”, he wheezed quietly as he spoke. “There will come a day when you feel crushed by the burden of modern life… and your bright spirit will fade before a growing emptiness…”_

_Another cough escaped him, before continuing on with that same determined yet gentle smile that I’d come to know and love._

_“When that happens, my dearest… you will then be ready for this gift…”_

_His calloused hands patted the top of the letter gingerly, before they slid down beside him again._

_“Now… let Grampa rest…”_

Being only 10 years old at the time, I didn’t have much comprehension of just how crushing modern life could be…

◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇

At my desk, a headset sitting on the surface after having a very irate customer hang up abruptly while attempting to coach them through using the – frankly, shoddy – JoJa Business software.

_This is ridiculous…_

I thought to myself, leaning back in my office chair.

The office seemed to close in around me, dingy lights, musty air, awful workspace. That was the excuse for an office block that I’d somehow found myself in.

Our superiors watched like vultures from the upper rooms as if they were observing a lab experiment – testing how long their ‘mice’ would last.

If I didn’t get back to work soon, one of their ‘work enforcers’ would come down and talk some sense into me. That being said, the level of intelligence that you’d get with one of them was akin to that of a wooden lamp-post.

As I straightened up to grind through the last 2 hours of my shift, a moment of clarity passed me.

_Is now the time…?_

I thought, fingering the envelope that I’d produced from my rust infused drawer.

Seconds passed… before I cracked the seal open, a yellowed paper greeting me with all too familiar handwriting.

“ _Dearest Willow,_

_If you’re reading this, you must be in dire need of a change. The same thing happened to me, long ago. I’d lost sight of what mattered most in life… real connections with other people and nature. So I dropped everything and moved to the place I truly belong._

_I’ve enclosed the deed to that place… my pride and joy: ‘Rosewood Farm’. It’s located in Stardew Valley – as you and your Pa well know – on the southern coast._

_It’s the perfect place to start your new life._

_This was my most precious gift of all, and now it’s yours. I know you’ll honour the family name, my dear._

_Love, Grampa_

_P.S If Lewis is still alive, say ‘hi’ to the old guy for me, will ya?”_

◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇

Later that evening, after an extraordinarily long ride on the metro, I came home to the quaint little apartment that Miski and I called our own.

Miski – my roommate – was curled on the couch, nose buried deep in the latest sci-fi novel she’d picked up, purple auburn hair trailing carelessly over tanned shoulders.

“Heeeeey,” she mumbled in greeting, words slurred while she was torn between the two dimensions of fiction and reality.

I chuckled at her manner, dropping my bag by our kitchen counter and walking in.

“I need you to see this,” I began immediately, plopping myself down on the couch next to her.

She bobbed up and down as I dropped, looking over at me slowly, eyes catching the last few glimpses of the words before they reluctantly switched to me.

“Yeah? What?”

“Remember… remember when I was younger, I told you that Grampa gave me a letter… one that he told me not to open until I needed a change?”

“Mmmhmm?” she nodded slowly, processing the words as they came.

“Well… sitting at work today…” an aggravated noise framed an exasperated gesture left me, “It’s such a dead-end job, I need something more… something exciting… and maybe kinda crazy…”

Her expression varied to a smirk with a slight smile, making a rolling gesture with her hand to indicate for me to get a move on.

“I know! I know,” I laughed, pulling out the envelope from before, “Grampa… he… he gave me the farm,” I stammered, words running together, all the while Miski stared at me blankly. “I’ve inherited the whole farm!”

It took a moment before the words sank in, before she burst into a fit of sniggers. “You’re joking, Will, right?” she uttered between chuckles, her book now sitting shut on crossed legs, giving me an incredulous side-eye.

“No! No, I’m not! Look, look at this…” I extended the envelope out to her, “The title deed is there and everything!”

◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇

She searched the pages long and hard, considering their contents with scepticism. Finally, though, the documents were folded up neatly, glancing over at me as she regarded a distant poster on the wall.

“Are you going to go then?”

“Yes.” I paused, a grin broadening in the silence, “And you’re coming with me.”

Her head whipped around in surprise, shock, and reluctance… but with a little convincing we agreed that she’d try it for a month and see how she managed.

“If you don’t like it,” I continued, “You can always head back here and I’ll stay up there…”

“Fine,” she grumbled, still somewhat uncertain about the whole affair, “We’ll do it that way…”


	2. 🌸 Settling In… 🌸

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally, they've made it to town. But what awaits them there?

Those few weeks flew past in no time, soon enough, Miski and I were sharing a seat on the bus to Pelican Town.

The trip’s scenery hadn’t changed a bit. Being the last day of Winter, the majority of the snow had melted, leaving only the distant dusting on far away mountains.

Winter’s dying chill was more noticeable now as the city smog disappeared in the distance.

Miski sat fast asleep in the space next to me, resting against the backrest as she used my shoulder for a pillow.

With an early start and an all-nighter behind her, the poor girl was tuckered out.  She was a content creator, getting that last stream behind her before we – most likely – went off the grid for a little while.

As the bus tripped on a pothole, Miski shifted and groaned as she was rudely awoken from her sleep.

“I’m hungry…” she muttered, still partially in dream land, “Are we there yet…?”

“Not quite yet, kiddo,” I replied, nudging her aside so I could reach down and collect a box of goodies to keep her awake, “There yah go, c’mon, there’s some sugaries to get you going again.”

Within an instant, she’d taken the box into her hand and was already prying of the lid to get at the things inside.

“Oooooh,” she exclaimed excitedly, pulling out a segment of brownie from the box, before shoving it immediately in her mouth.

“Careful, don’t make yourself sick,” I chuckled, shaking my head at the vigour with which she ate.

“You… shnow… I ne...ver ge...t… shick,” she murmured, cheeks puffed out with the sugary treats.

I merely sighed, giving her the standard ‘can’t say I didn’t warn you look’ with an accompanied giggle.

“So,” she paused as she licked the sugar coating off her fingers, “What we gunna do when we get there?”

“Lewis said he’d send someone to meet us… and then either he or they’ll show us around.”

“Mmmhmm, and  _ then? _ ”

“Clean up the place, I guess, see if we can get things off the ground,” I replied simply, leaning down to snatch my phone from my bag to show her the plan of the area. “See? I have an idea of how we might plan things out…”

Four corners of the farm had been flattened and were ready for use, while the centre pieces created modestly sized ledges that separated the space (imagine a similar concept to a four pane window with a hole in the centre where the frame would usually cross)

◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇

A few steps from the bus, and a fiery haired woman greeted us with a beaming smile and an outstretched hand, eager to shake ours.

“Hi there! You must be Willow and Miski, right?” she asked, looking between us both as she shook our hands respectively.

“That we are!” I replied with similar enthusiasm, “Uh… Robin, is it?”

She chuckled and nodded. “That I am. I’m the local carpenter here in Pelican Town… ol’ Lewis sent me here to fetch you and show you to your new home. He’s just tidying a couple of things up for your arrival.”

We both bobbed our heads in agreement as she spoke before she turned and gestured for us to follow.

“The farm’s right over here, if you’ll follow me.”

It was only a short walk, and while the bus stop was only a few paces behind, the sound of any modern roads was non-existent.

A little further along and the appearance of a rather worn stone path began to poke out from the dirt below.

Thinking that the farm would need  _ some _ maintenance, I’d steeled myself for at least a little work… but the view that we were both presented with left us reeling.

_ Oh… my… _

“Good lord! What happened here?!” Miski exclaimed, looking around at the overgrown shrubbery and the ever encroaching forest. “A bomb’s hit the place!”

Robin just laughed, indifferent to the situation. “Sure, it’s a little overgrown… but there’s some good soil under that mess!” she assured us, giving me – the closest one to her – a hard ‘whack!’ on the back. “Nothing like a little work to keep you city folk on your toes, huh?”

She noted that the reassurance – while hearty – hadn’t quite worked as she’d planned, continuing on with a more sympathetic: “With a little dedication, you two’ll get this place cleaned up in no time, don’t worry!”

We – or, I should say ‘I’ – just nodded in agreement, Miski giving the woman a more than slightly annoyed look as we trailed behind her to the front patio of the equally dilapidated shack.

“And here we are…” she announced, gesturing to the house. “Your new home!”

Miski had breathed in to make a comment about the arrangement, when an older looking gentleman appeared at the front door.

“Ah! Willow! Miski!” he boomed in a classic country manner. “Welcome, welcome!” he continued as he stepped down the porch and shook our hands without hesitation. “I’m Lewis, Mayor of Pelican Town. Pleasure to meet you both.”

“I… yes, likewise, Lewis.”

Miski replied with a stern “Mm” as she impassively returned the handshake, returning it to her pocket as soon as she was able.

“You know, everyone’s been askin’ about you two. It’s not everyday a new person moves in! This is quite the big deal!”

_ Perhaps I can understand why… _

“Oh? Well… I’m looking forward to meeting everyone,” I murmured, forcing a weak smile as I elbowed Miski in the stomach as I heard her begin to snigger.

“Good, good! Excellent… you have a community spirit!”

◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇

Lewis finished showing us around our new home, with the suggestion that we meet all the townsfolk as soon as possible.

“Like I said, the whole town’s been a’buzzin’ with excitement!” he restated, the door half shut as he walked out.

“And, if there’s anythin’ you want to sell, package it up and I’ll sell it at the Farmer’s Markets for you. Just give me a price and I’ll do the rest.”

We’d arranged such things contractually beforehand, but he wanted us to get as easily accustomed to the place as possible.

Eventually, he finally left with Robin. The door was shut and I turned to Miski, plopping down on one of the nearby beds.

“What. A. Mess!” I squeaked in horror, looking around the interior.

“You said it,” Miski returned, “Looks like the inside of a haunted house to me,” she added, gesturing to the cracks in the paint and the cobwebs that adorned some of the ceiling corners, and the overall ‘vintage’ look to the place.

With a mildly defeated sigh, I nodded, “It’s not… exactly as I’d hoped,” came my quiet murmur, standing up to set Pusheen – our tortoiseshell cat – out of his carrier.

He mewed gratefully as he stepped out onto the wooden floor, observing his new surroundings with caution, before deciding that he didn’t particularly feel safe and began scratching at my legs for me to pick him up.

“But… then again,” I reasoned, picking up my fur baby and carting him over to the bed where he could curl up on my lap, “We weren’t expecting it to be totally perfect.”

Miski shrugged, agreeing reluctantly.

“We’ll make this work…”


	3. 🌸 Begin Again 🌸

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And so, their first day on the farm - officially, at least. A nasty surprise is in store for our city folk, perhaps something they would've normally taken for granted...

The next morning proved to be brighter than before… the first day of Spring always was.

Stardew Valley was full of life; bees buzzed softly in the distance, flowers were freshly in bloom. These were the sights that you would never get in the city, not in 1000 years. 

When we got out of the house, the damage to the property was assessed. Several trees needed felling, grass needed to be cut, and debris needed to be cleared from the ground.

Naturally, Miski was in charge of wielding most of the sharp stuff, taking great delight in clearing said ‘debris’ as she axed the stray branches into firewood. Meanwhile, I’d taken to clearing the jungle of grass that had taken its hold.

It took some doing – the tools being a little more rusty and blunt than we’d originally thought – but it got the job done.

It would take some time, and with the state of our tools as mentioned, it would take even longer. So, our initial section was a rim around the house, along with a small field that would be  _ just _ big enough to plant the season’s crops.

“Tired yet?” I looked over at Miski as we sat at the edge of the patio, panting quietly.

“Tired? Exhausted more like… and so huuuuuungry,” she muttered, an evil grin crossing her face which told me she was enjoying the feeling of an axe cutting through wood.

I chuckled quietly, downing a swig of water from a bottle, before handing it to her to do the same. “We’ll get some food soon, there’s a nice pub around here, remember?”

She grunted in agreement as she took a shallow swig herself.

There was a few more minute’s rest before I continued on. “I’ll start with the tilling, we’ve got those Parsnips to sow now, thanks to Lewis,” I explained, straightening up with the hoe’s handle resting on my shoulder.

“Ah… that’s what was in that box, huh?” she realised, leaning forwards on her elbows before her phone was swiftly whipped from her pocket. “You go on ahead, I’ve got a couple things to do on here,” she murmured, beaming over at me with an excessively innocent expression.

“Oh? Is that so?” I remarked, taking a step towards the freshly uncovered ground.

There was no response, already engrossed in her activities to the point of exclusion. It was only a single step ahead before there was a horrified screech from behind me, followed by a sharp “ **_WHAT_ ** ?!”

I nearly sent the hoe’s blade through my boot, turning quickly to see Miski grasping her phone for dear life.

“What, what’s wrong?” I queried hurriedly.

“Th-there’s NO RECEPTION HERE!! NOTHING! NADA! ZIP!” she reiterated several times, looking between me and the screen, distraught. “My viewers! My feed!” she continued to stammer, losing her composure at a rapid rate of knots.

“S-surely there must be some place that isn’t a dead zone?”

“Well I’m sure as heck going to find it!” she replied adamantly, standing with enraged flair and beginning to thunderstorm around the farm with her phone held stiffly to the sky.

But, as life usually goes, she wasn’t successful, ranting and raving towards the farm house with a less-than-impressed expression covering her features.

“Not  _ ONE  _ **_FLIPPING BAR!!_ ** ” she exclaimed as she drew within earshot, just as I’d finished watering the new field.

“Nowhere? Nowhere at all?” I asked, beginning to worry myself. A lot of what we did to manage everything relied on our access to the mainframe.

There was something muttered about it being a ‘stupid country town, in the middle of stinking nowhere’ with a few extra epletives thrown in around the place.

After a moment, I gestured to the path that led into a small passage behind the farm that would lead to what Lewis called the “Mountain Passage”.

“Have you tried through there? You might have more luck…”

The suggestion was met with further annoyed grumbles.

“I’ll go and check later,” she muttered, shoving the phone back into her pocket as she retrieved her axe, “There’s still a few things to get finished ‘round here…”

I watched her head off to begin on some of the bigger trees, before I picked up my satchel to head in the direction of town.

◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇

Soon enough, the dirt path from the farm turned into more maintained cobble, which morphed into neat pavers, revealing a glimpse of the centre of town.

Two buildings were the first in view, one with blue siding, the other, partially obscured by the first, poked above it with matching red shingles that gave it a cottage charm.

_ This is more like it… _

Enthralled by the scenery around me, I wasn’t paying attention to exactly  **_where_ ** I was walking; and before long, I’d smacked into a rather solid object.

_ Shoot! _

I thought, thinking I’d made a right idiot of myself by running into one of the town’s lamp posts.

But… as I looked up, my gaze drifted to the ‘not-so-lamp-post’ object that had obstructed me.

There was a hand extended towards me, a sleeved arm leading up to a studious face with a neat moustache covering his top lip.

“Sorry Miss, I didn’t see you, are you alright?” he asked gently, hoisting me to my feet as he spoke, deep brown eyes that hid behind bookish glasses searching my expression.

I’d not steeled myself for conversation – at least, not in this capacity – and stammered a rather inelegant response.

“Oh, yeah, I’m okay… sorry,” I chuckled, dusting my overalls off, “I should’ve been paying more attention.”

On further inspection, he wore a forest green overcoat, covering a starched white shirt and taupe tie.

“You must be the new farmer?” he continued, the traces of embarrassment leaving his cheeks.

Admittedly, the comment in itself made  _ me _ feel a little embarrassed, knowing full well that I had mud caked on various parts of my outfit.

“Ehheh, yep, that’s me!” a tired smile just managing to overpower my rapidly reddening features.

“I see, Miss. Willow, then, pleased to meet you,” he continued in a gentlemanly manner.

“Just Willow,” I waved off the honorific, “No need for formality.”

There was a sense of ease as I said that, smiling subtly and nodding in acknowledgement. “My name’s Harvey, the local doctor here.”

“Aaah, hence the ‘Journal of Tendon Dynamics’, yes?”

Harvey responded with a satisfied scoff, and nodding once more.

“Well, it was nice to meet you, Willow,” he furthered, “I should get going, I hope you enjoy your new home!” He called over his shoulder before continuing on towards the small garden area that I’d passed on my way in.

◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇

The rest of the townsfolk were greeted in a far more standard manner.

Pierre – local grocer and general store owner – spoke with me at length about the history of his shop (being quite the salesman); at one point even trying to tempt me to buy a – frankly overpriced – satchel for working on the farm.

When he sensed the dubious tone I had about such a ‘deal’, he backed off and proceeded to point out the villagers who were browsing the shelves at the time.

Marnie, a middle-aged woman who ran a ranch of sorts on the outskirts of town; Gus, a man roughly in his late 50’s or early 60’s ran the local establishment of ‘The Stardrop Saloon’.

A few others had come in by the time I’d stepped away from the counter, but I didn’t stop to find their names.

By the time I’d left, I had a bundle of brown paper bags filled to the brim with various products for dinner that night – including some seeds that I’d be able to plant later.

Mayor Lewis flagged me down when I started for home, insisting on taking an armful of produce from me.

“How was your first night? You’ve already cleared out a decent patch up there!” he observed, a curve appearing above that ‘broom-stache’ of his.

“Not too bad, I think we’ll have the fire on tonight. It’s still got the Winter chill happening…”

He nodded after a quiet laugh. “Yep, you might want to have wood prepared for the first week of Spring, after that things tend to heat up… come to think of it, if you ever need any wood you should have a chat with Leah. She’s a sculptor, y’see and has no end of lumber sized off cuts from her work.”

I thanked him for the advice, stopping at the porch stairs to collect the bags from him again.

“Now, what are you doin’ with all these groceries?” he asked curiously, handing them off to me.

“Oh… well, I’m usually the cook of the household, so… this is some of dinner,” I chuckled, heaving the bags so they were held more comfortably.

“No, no, no! You must come to the Saloon tonight, we’ll all be filing in soon enough, but the meal’s on the town! We can’t have newcomers arrive without a good old fashioned Pelican Town welcome!”

The idea of an easy dinner was  _ very _ appealing, and I accepted the offer gratefully.

“As soon as I find Miski, we’ll be down there.”


	4. 🌸 Martians! 🌸

As the days rolled on, we found ourselves in a more streamlined routine.

Each morning was relatively the same. Breakfast at 6, before farm work began for Miski. I would follow up later after attending to the state of the kitchen.

Our patch was doing well! At Lewis’ suggestion, we’d chosen hardier plants to begin with, too inexperienced to attempt growing more sensitive crops.

“These should be good to go!” I called to Miski as I persuaded one of the plants to leave their root stock.

“Finally,” she returned, sweat dripping off her brow before she swiped a gloved hand across it. “Thought we had some duds on our hands”

“Tss… well, we can sell them now, anything else you want me to take?”

She jumped to action, dropping the tool she was holding and sprinting over to the storage chests.

“Got some leeks and flowers from the forest!” she called, half engulfed by the crate she’d stuck her head into.

Groaning as she heaved herself out, her arms filled with foraged goods. “From the walk the other day, maybe Pierre will give us that ‘organics only’ markup or whatever…”

I grinned, “I reckon they’ll fetch a good price.”

Once the newfound produce had tumbled into the same bag, I left Miski with the fields and headed for town.

◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇

Pelican Town excelled at making you feel like life was simple again. Back in time to where modern conveniences were things of magic and wonderment to all and sundry. The feeling of pride you had when you presented a store owner or market street stall with your own produce was truly amazing.

While our market stalls were limited to the general store alone, nothing came close to that feeling.

Pierre was, as usual, happy to see me – ever the charming salesman that he was.

“Already?” he observed with cheer, gesturing to the crop-laden rucksack on his counter, “The soil up there must be the stuff of wonders!”

“Just a few stragglers,” I teased, “And goods from the forest. This entire  _ valley _ is the stuff of wonders.”

“It’s that and all… you know, with all that you’ve got growing up there, I’m sure you’ll be needing a bigger backpack! You see I just got these satchels from ZuZu City-”

_ Already with the sales pitch… _

A smirk appeared rapidly across my face as he prattled on. Pierre just couldn’t resist trying to flog his stuff off on us. If anything, you’d have expected him to have taken lessons from the mysterious saleswoman and her pig.

Lewis’ voice interrupted the eternal advertisement, a heavy hand resting on my shoulder.

“I’m sure Miss Willow here would love to know about these backpacks, but I’m afraid I need to borrow her for a moment.”

“Of course! Of course!” Pierre responded meekly, “But still, consider it! I’m sure you’ll have need of it at some po-”

The Mayor held up a definite palm, to which Pierre merely gave us a plastic grin and left from behind the counter to address the barer looking shelves.

Lewis by this moment had shuffled me in the general direction of the door and out into the street.

“What’s this about needing to ‘borrow’ me?” I questioned, digging my heels in before he could cart me along any further.

He turned to face me, realising his determination had neglected to mention the purpose of this adventure.

“I want your opinion on the Community Centre on the hill… seeing as you’re… well, a newcomer, I’d like to get some fresh eyes on the subject.”

“Ah… the abandoned building?”

“That’s the one, only… we’re trying to address the ‘abandoned’ issue at the moment.”

Dipping my head in response, he returned the gesture and continued on course.

In good form, Miski rounded the corner at the stairs leading up to the upper park, sidling up beside me with her usual mischievous expression.

“In trouble already, is we?” she purred curiously.

“Hah! It sounds like  _ you’re _ the one that’s done something ‘less-than-legal’…” I returned, poking my tongue out briefly at her.

She sniggered in response, before her gaze fell on the Mayor.

“So where’s Broomstache taking you?” she hissed, pulling me to slow down so the man in question would wander out of earshot.

“He says he wants some new eyes on that Community Centre.”

“That old dump on the hill?”

Only just managing to hold in a burst of laughter, I schooled my features and gave her a pointed, pursed smirk.

“That’s one way to put it”

“The  _ only _ way to put it.”

“Heugh…”

“Wait… is he expecting us to fix  _ that _ ?”

“Sure hope not,” I replied, taking a few further steps towards the Mayor, examining the ‘rustic’ exterior of the dilapidated building.

Once we’d finally made it close enough to hear him, we caught him mumbling about the object’s sorry state.

“It truly is an eyesore… used to be the pride and joy of Pelican Town… and now look at it.”

With rotted panelling, broken windows, dubious roof, it didn’t look like there was much of the original structure that could be resurfaced easily. It would need an entire remake to bring it back to ‘the glory days’, whatever that meant to Lewis.

“So, how are you gunna fix it?” Miski piped up immediately, arms crossed while she leant her weight onto one leg, “Got a plan?”

“You must have some funding lined up, right? Project like this would need a fair amount of money in it.”

He hesitated, growing progressively more uncomfortably as we stared him down.

“There’s… the rub,” he began, Miski and I exchanging suspicious frowns, “The town isn’t in the best of financial situations right no-”

“Well! That’s all we need to hear!” Miski announced, turning on her heels to head off on her merry way.

Before she could hightail too much further, I grabbed the edge of her sleeve and reefed her back towards me – rewarding me with an incredibly dangerous stare from her.

“Alright, so there’s not much reward in it  _ right this second  _ but I’m sure there’ll be due payment given in the future,” I explained to Miski firmly, giving Lewis a pointed look.

There was a short bob of the head as a mildly intimidated look crossed his features.

◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇

Needless to say, the old building held more than a few skeletons in its closet.

Apart from the standard wear and tear, holes had formed through floorboards, mason work crumbled on top of the mantelpiece, and several pieces of furniture lay broken into pieces.

“Well this is going to be  _ fun… _ ” Miski grumbled, still in her ‘suit of armour’ stance.

“Mmm… I believe that this will be an ongoing project,” I replied tentatively, assessing the damage.

Lewis had gone further inside, inspecting a sturdy looking hut that stood in the upper left-hand corner of the main room.

“This is odd-” fingering the leaves that made up the roof of the structure- “must be the work of the children… playing in here again,” he chortled casually.

“How long has this place been unused for?”

“Almost 10 years now…”

“That explains a fe- THING!” Miski screeched, jumping up and down as she pointed at something behind the Mayor’s legs.

He jumped to one side, checking his feet over worriedly. “Miski what is it? What did you see?”

“I swear there was something there!”

“I wouldn’t be surprised if the place was full of rats…”

“That… was not a rat,” I assured him, eyes fixed on the spot that Miski was now reaching beneath the floor, “Miz! Don’t reach under there!”

Before she lost a finger, I pulled her away hurriedly despite her continued scrambling to dive back under there.

“Don’t do that, it might be dangerous!”

“I wanna see! I wanna see!”

“No, you don’t ‘wanna see’ you might lose a hand!”

“To heck with the hand, I wanna find that martian!”

Lewis watched on with concern as one farmer restrained the other, before clearing his throat in an endeavour to break to commotion.

“Ahem?”

We both stopped in our tracks – though Miski continued to pull against my arms.

“You think that you can handle it? At least some of the restoration?”

Miski shoved me out of the way with a triumphant grin, before setting her sights on the Mayor.

"Ah hah! So I was right. You expect us to fix it. Well this is isn’t gonna be an ‘outta the goodness of our hearts’ kinda deal.”

“I… I promise that there will be some form of payment later…”

She paused, stroking her chin for a brief second, before she grinned toothily - almost sinister.

“Alright, then we’ll do it.”

There was disbelief written on his face at her lack of reluctance.

“Er… right then… well… I’ll post it on the noticeboard so that people can assist… but I… think I’ll be off to have some lunch now.”

◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇

“MARTIANS!” Erupted Miski as soon as the door shut.

“MISKI NO!”

It was too late, she was already prying at the board, jamming herself under the board as was humanly possible .

“For heaven’s sake…” I muttered, a frustrated hand rubbing its way into my face.

“There’s  li’l footprints under here!” she shouted, feet flailing around in discovery.

I watched as she scrabbled to cram herself further under, before sighing in defeat.

“I cannoe fits…”

“You’re liable to get stuck under there if you try to go too much further…”

“No I wo-” at that precise moment, as she attempted to pry herself out- “Uuuuuuh… heheh…”

“Yeah, that’s what I thought…”

She continued to struggle, situating myself on the bare ground while I watched.

“Hey!! Give me a hand you oaf!” she called, muffled beneath the sound of scuffling feet.

“...What did I say?”

“Megh!!!!!”

After a few moments, she heaved yet another defeated sigh, her limbs flopping against the ground.

“Pleeeeeeease?”

Silence ensued.

“Willow? Willow!?”

My presence was revealed as I failed to control a snigger.

“You ratbag!” she shrieked, beginning to thrash around once more, “Imma get you!”


End file.
